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| [November 19, 2012] |
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LifeMap Sciences, a Subsidiary of BioTime, Announces Release of GeneCards® Version 3.09
ALAMEDA, Calif. --(Business Wire)--
LifeMap Sciences, Inc., a subsidiary of BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX),
announced today the release of GeneCards®, Version
3.09, on November 18, 2012. The new release is available at www.genecards.org.
LifeMap Sciences holds the exclusive worldwide license to market GeneCards®
from Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd., the commercial arm of
the Weizmann Institute of Science.
GeneCards® is a comprehensive online database that
provides concise genomic information on all known and predicted human
genes. The recent GeneCards® release greatly enhances
the representation of non-protein coding RNA genes based, among other
sources, on the ENCODE Project, an international collaborative effort to
identify all functional elements in the human genome sequence. With over
12 million page visits per year from hundreds of thousands of unique
users worldwide, GeneCards® is accessed by
professionals in academia, research hospitals, patent offices, and
leading biotech and pharma companies. GeneCards® was
developed, and is continuously enhanced by ongoing research, by the
bioinformatics team at the Department of Molecular Genetics at the
Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, with principal investigator
Professor Doron Lancet, head of the Crown Human Genome Center, and team
leader Marilyn Safran.
The new GeneCards® release includes more than 122,000
gene entries. One of the important enhancements is the revamped normal
tissue gene expression section, which now shows images for 16 tissues
based on RNA-seq data of the Illumina BodyMap project, as well as a
greatly enhanced number of 80 tissues from BioGPS. Another key
enrichment is expression data in an anatomical and embryonic
developmental context, obtained from LifeMap Discovery™, the
database of embryonic development, stem-cell research and regenerative
medicine. Also included are improved functionality for non-coding RNA
genes (multi-source overlap graphics, subcategories, and quality scores)
gene-associated diseases from MalaCards (http://malacards.org),
pathways from new sources and new gene-related research reagents.
"The significantly upscaled gene expression and non-coding RNA sectors,
as well as the new strong links to MalaCards and LifeMap
Discovery™, are parts of our long-term research strategy, and bring
new discovery strength to GeneCards®," said Professor
Doron Lancet, Ph.D., The Ralph D. and Lois R. Silver Professor of Human
Genomics, at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
"Providing anatomical and developmental context, enriching disease
related information, and improving our gene expression data in GeneCards
are big steps forward for our platform," stated Yaron Guan-Golan, Head
of Marketing at LifeMap Sciences. "We are delighted to see the continued
improvement of GeneCards' features and content, the establishment
of MalaCards, and the inclusion of novel data from our upcoming LifeMap
DiscoveryTM database. The synergies between GeneCards®,
MalaCards and LifeMap DiscoveryTM will
significantly enhance basic research, and contribute greatly to the
discovery and development of novel diagnostic and therapeuic products
and technologies."
About LifeMap Sciences, Inc.
LifeMap Sciences' (www.lifemapsc.com)
core technology and business is based on its integrated database suite,
the discovery platform for biomedical and stem-cell research. This
platform includes GeneCards®, the leading human
gene database; LifeMap Discovery™, the database of embryonic
development, stem cell research and regenerative medicine; and MalaCards,
the human disease database. LifeMap Sciences also markets PanDaTox,
an innovative, recently developed, searchable database that can aid in
the discovery of new antibiotics and biotechnologically beneficial
products.
In addition to database offerings, BioTime plans to make LifeMap
Sciences BioTime's principal marketing subsidiary for research products,
including PureStem™ human progenitor cell lines, GMP human
embryonic stem (hES) cell lines, ESpan™ growth media for
progenitor cell lines, and cell differentiation media for
non-therapeutic uses, via its LifeMap BioReagents™ portal.
LifeMap Sciences will utilize its databases as part of its online
marketing strategy to reach life sciences researchers at biotech and
pharmaceutical companies and at academic institutions and research
hospitals worldwide.
In a therapeutic discovery collaboration with BioTime, LifeMap's
scientists utilize LifeMap's proprietary platform, including LifeMap
Discovery, its stem cell database along with the GeneCards®
and MalaCards integrated database suite, to aid in the
development of BioTime's proprietary PureStem™ human progenitor
cell lines into products for the treatment of human diseases, especially
degenerative diseases that might be treatable with cell replacement
therapies. The LifeMap Discovery™ platform will be used to select
the progenitor cell lines that are most likely to be useful in
developing cell-based regenerative medicine therapies for a wide range
of diseases.
About BioTime, Inc.
BioTime, headquartered in Alameda, California, is a biotechnology
company focused on regenerative medicine and blood plasma volume
expanders. Its broad platform of stem cell technologies is enhanced
through subsidiaries focused on specific fields of application. BioTime
develops and markets research products in the fields of stem cells and
regenerative medicine, including a wide array of proprietary PureStem™
cell lines, HyStem® hydrogels, culture media, and
differentiation kits. BioTime is developing Renevia™ (formerly
known as HyStem®-Rx), a biocompatible,
implantable hyaluronan and collagen-based matrix for cell delivery in
human clinical applications. BioTime's therapeutic product development
strategy is pursued through subsidiaries that focus on specific organ
systems and related diseases for which there is a high unmet medical
need. BioTime's majority owned subsidiary Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd.
is developing therapeutic products derived from stem cells for the
treatment of retinal and neural degenerative diseases. BioTime's
subsidiary OrthoCyte Corporation is developing therapeutic applications
of stem cells to treat orthopedic diseases and injuries. Another
subsidiary, OncoCyte Corporation, focuses on the diagnostic and
therapeutic applications of stem cell technology in cancer, including
the diagnostic product PanC-Dx™ currently being developed for the
detection of cancer in blood samples. ReCyte Therapeutics, Inc. is
developing applications of BioTime's proprietary induced pluripotent
stem cell technology to reverse the developmental aging of human cells
to treat cardiovascular and blood cell diseases. BioTime's subsidiary
LifeMap Sciences, Inc. markets GeneCards®, the leading
human gene database, and is developing an integrated database suite to
complement GeneCards® that will also include the LifeMap™
database of embryonic development, stem cell research and regenerative
medicine, and MalaCards, the human disease database. LifeMap will
also market BioTime research products. BioTime's lead product, Hextend®,
is a blood plasma volume expander manufactured and distributed in the
U.S. by Hospira, Inc. and in South Korea by CJ CheilJedang Corporation
under exclusive licensing agreements. Additional information about
BioTime can be found on the web at www.biotimeinc.com.
About the Weizmann Institute of Science
The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the
world's top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. Noted for
its wide-ranging exploration of the natural and exact sciences, the
Institute is home to 2,700 scientists, students, technicians and
supporting staff. Institute research efforts include the search for new
ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions in
mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and the
universe, creating novel materials and developing new strategies for
protecting the environment.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating results,
future growth in research, technology, clinical development, and
potential opportunities for BioTime and its subsidiaries, along with
other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans,
or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking
statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but
not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes,"
"plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates") should also be
considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements
involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks
inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential
products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory
approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, and maintenance of
intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from
the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such
should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the
business of BioTime and its subsidiaries, particularly those mentioned
in the cautionary statements found in BioTime's Securities and Exchange
Commission filings. BioTime disclaims any intent or obligation to update
these forward-looking statements.
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